2 New York state parks rank among nation's top tick-borne illness hotspots

A series of recent reports have identified specific state parks across the United States as high-risk hotspots for tick-borne illnesses. In New York, the Democrat and Chronicle and Lohud report that two state parks rank among the worst in the nation. Specifically, WSTM and cnynews.com highlight Green Lakes as ranking second on the national list for tick-borne illness concerns, while VINnews identifies Harriman State Park as another of the nation's top hotspots. Beyond New York, the Peoria Journal Star reports that two state parks in Illinois also rank among the top tick hotspots in the country. Coverage of these rankings is widespread across regional news outlets and specialized publications.

In New Jersey, the Bergen Record and News12 | New Jersey report that a local state park is among the top in the nation for these illnesses. More specifically, the New Jersey Hills Media Group, Central New Jersey News, and WRNJ Radio focus on the Round Valley Reservoir. According to communitynews.org and WRNJ Radio, the Hunterdon County-based Round Valley Park is ranked No. 4 on the list for tick-borne illness concerns. WorldAtlas has also provided broader context through features on the forests where ticks are worst and the state parks with the most tick-borne illness. The emergence of these rankings highlights a growing public health concern regarding outdoor recreation in these specific geographic areas.

The data indicates a concentrated risk in the Northeastern United States, particularly within the state park systems of New York and New Jersey, as well as in Illinois. This information serves as a warning to visitors of these popular nature destinations about the prevalence of ticks and the associated risk of contracting illnesses while visiting these high-ranking sites. Future attention will likely focus on the specific metrics used to determine these rankings, though coverage does not yet specify the exact data sources or the full list of parks. Observers should watch for updates from health officials in New York, New Jersey, and Illinois as these parks have been explicitly named as high-risk zones. The continued monitoring of these hotspots by outlets like WorldAtlas and local affiliates suggests that the risk levels in Green Lakes, Harriman State Park, and Round Valley Reservoir remain a primary point of concern for regional health reporting.